


training day

by doranells



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: Ava is exasperated but what else is new, F/F, Farah is an enabler, Fluff, Juliet is a cheater
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26590741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doranells/pseuds/doranells
Summary: Ava is challenged to a sparring session. Juliet just so happens to know how to get the upper hand.
Relationships: Detective & Farah Hauville, Female Detective/Ava du Mortain
Kudos: 29





	training day

**Author's Note:**

> this was prompted by an ask sera had a long time ago saying a good way to get A to have a hard restart is to kiss them while they're being competitive. i am nothing is not a simple being. here you go.
> 
> spot the one direction reference :)

Juliet’s back hits the mat and she starts to laugh. 

Farah grins down at her, bouncing on her toes. “You can’t laugh every time I knock you down!” 

“But it keeps happening!” Juliet cries, her ribs aching both from laughing and the sparring session that’s been going on for the better part of the hour. “You just zoom around and I don’t even get a chance!” 

“It’s my special talent.” Farah wiggles her brows and offers a hand. Juliet takes it and lets herself be hauled to her feet — again. “I don’t think Ava would be too happy to find you laughing at getting your butt kicked.” 

“Ava needs to laugh more,” Juliet admits with a dismissive wave of her hand. She takes a deep breath, lungs burning. “Besides, this is just for fun.” She gets back into her stance and prepares for Farah to lay her out once more. “Let’s go again.” 

Farah’s smile widens, and they start again. Farah is quick, quicker than Ava, but her hits are a little more erratic, a little less practiced. It feels less like a fight and more like they’re roughhousing, which is completely fine with Juliet. 

Any punch Juliet throws is either dodged or diverted. Farah hasn’t really hit her — most of her time is spent running literal circles around Juliet, taunting her from behind and knocking her feet out from under her. It would be frustrating if it wasn’t so fun to watch Farah’s movements or hear the delighted laughs, though it is far from the proper training session Ava thought they were having. 

Farah giggles and darts past Juliet. It’s almost without thinking that Juliet reaches out and somehow snags Farah’s arm. The momentum of Farah’s movement jerks Juliet forward, and she crashes into the vampire. She hardly thinks about it as she takes advantage of the closeness to wrap her arms around Farah, dropping to the floor to take them both down in one go.

Farah breaks Juliet’s fall, hitting the mat with enough force to rattle Juliet’s teeth. As Juliet crashes down on top of her, Farah’s elbow catches her in the stomach. The grunt Juliet lets out has Farah laughing, and soon enough, Juliet is laughing too. 

They laugh even though nothing is funny. Juliet releases Farah to cover her face with her hands, her cheeks hot against her palms and Farah’s laugh ringing loud in her ears. 

It’s not until the laughter dies down that Juliet uncovers her eyes and finds Ava standing at the edge of the mat, her arms crossed over her chest. 

“Hi, Aves,” Juliet says around another set of giggles. 

“What are you doing?” Ava asks. It sounds more like a demand than a question. 

“Having fun,” Farah chirps. She’s still laying on her back, and there are tears in the corners of her amber eyes that she wipes away with a knuckle. “You should try it.” 

“You told me you were sparring,” Ava accuses. Juliet pushes herself onto her elbows. 

“We were,” Juliet says. Her face is still warm and her stomach muscles twinge when she shifts. “But then we fell over.” 

“After Jules fell over like ten times already,” Farah adds helpfully. 

“And it was funny, so we had a laugh,” Juliet ends brightly. She looks at Farah. “The laughs we have!” 

“Between me and you?” Farah shoots back, and they both start laughing again. 

Ava does not look amused. 

Juliet notices and crawls over to her, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin against her stomach. Ava looks down at her and lifts a brow. 

“Work your magic, Jules!” Farah calls from behind her. Juliet ignores her. 

“Do you wanna spar, Ava?” Juliet asks, batting her eyelashes. She’s sweaty and red-faced, but Ava’s green eyes soften just enough that Juliet knows she’ll give in. That, and Ava never passes up the opportunity to spar. Or kick Juliet’s ass at it. “I’ll even let you win.” 

Ava’s steely expression cracks just enough that a smile, challenging as it may be, flashes across her face. There’s even a tiny chuckle as Ava says, “You think you let me win?” 

“My skills in combat are undeniable,” Juliet says. She struggles to keep a straight face as Farah bursts out laughing again. “Any fights I’ve lost are because I’ve lost them on purpose.” 

Ava’s lips press together in a thin line, but Juliet knows her well enough to read the amusement in the lines of her face. “Is that so?” 

Juliet nods. 

“Then come,” Ava says, stepping out of the circle of Juliet’s arms and nodding towards the sparring mats. “Show me your superior combat skills.” 

Juliet stares up at her, a pang of uncertainty slicing through her like a knife. She’s never been a particularly competitive person, and Ava is competitive enough for the both of them, but Liam always said she has a stubborn streak a mile wide, so she isn’t about to turn down such a blatant challenge. 

Besides. She was the one that got herself into this. And any excuse she has to touch Ava, she’ll take. 

Ava strides past her to the middle of the mats as Farah evacuates to the sidelines. Juliet stands and meets Ava in the middle, her body already a little sore and her confidence waning. It doesn’t help that Ava is blatantly regarding her with a critical eye, no doubt sizing her up for competition even if they’ve done this dance a thousand times before.

Juliet squares her shoulders and lifts her chin. 

It’s not that she fears losing. She just doesn’t want Ava to win. 

“Are you ready?” Ava asks, rolling her shoulders out before she settles into a starting stance.

“Lets go,” Juliet says, mustering as much bravado as she can and getting ready. Ava keeps her gaze locked on her.

The worst part during a fight, to Juliet, is the anticipation of the first move. Ava knows enough, is skilled enough, that she rarely ever starts their sparring sessions the same way twice. It leaves Juliet jumpy, which is probably the point, but she watches Ava carefully. 

When Ava doesn’t move, Juliet frowns. 

“Come on! Do something!” Farah encourages, clapping.

Juliet raises a brow. Ava stays silent and still.

Until suddenly, she isn’t in front of Juliet anymore.

Juliet whips around the second her brain registers the empty space in front of her. What greets her is the sight of Ava’s fist swinging towards her face. Juliet gasps and ducks under Ava’s arm, aiming low like she was taught, getting her shoulder against Ava’s ribs and shoving.

Ava doesn’t move, because Ava is a damn statue when she wants to be. Instead, Ava uses the proximity to knee her in the side.

“Ow,” Juliet hisses, grabbing Ava’s knee and shoving, knocking her off balance long enough that Juliet can slam her into the ground, only for Ava to get the upper hand the moment they hit the floor.

It goes on like that longer than Juliet thought it would. Juliet knows Ava is holding back, because if she really wanted to, Ava could absolutely pummel her into the ground. It wouldn’t even take that much effort. But Juliet is thankful for Ava’s mercy, even if it means she has to keep fighting after her limbs become heavy and her lungs start burning.

(She could tap out. She could stop. But then Ava would win, and the last thing she wants to see is that smug look, no matter how cute it may be.)

Juliet’s back, for the hundredth time that day, hits the mat with a solid thump that knocks the wind from her. 

Ava smirks down at her, pinning Juliet’s hands to the mat. “Does it feel like you’ve won?”

Juliet stares at her, blinking owlishly. She can faintly hear Farah making colorful commentary, but she doesn’t know what she’s saying. All Juliet can focus on is the strands of hair stuck to Ava’s neck and the self-satisfied look on her face.

Ava stares at her, too. She’s so busy staring and gloating that Juliet, without thinking, leans up and presses a chaste kiss to Ava’s smirking mouth. 

It’s enough to short circuit Ava. 

Juliet takes the opening, getting her legs around Ava’s waist and using all her energy to flip them until Ava is securely beneath her. This time, Ava blinks up at her, the anger on her face hampered by the blush creeping across her pale cheeks.

Juliet grins.

Farah is howling.

“I win,” Juliet croons. 

“That was cheating,” Ava protests sharply. 

“There was nothing in the rules that said I couldn’t kiss my opponent,” Juliet says. “And there was nothing that said my opponent should be so kissable.”

“A rematch,” Ava demands. “We are having a rematch.”

“Nope!” Juliet says cheerfully. “I won. Fair and square.”

“You did not,” Ava says, but Juliet covers Ava’s mouth with her hand.

“Let’s submit this to the council for review,” Juliet says, and Ava has a look on her face that just screams what council when Juliet looks to Farah. “Farah? Did I win fair and square?”

“Yes. Yes you did,” Farah nods. She looks absolutely delighted. “Ava, just admit it: you lost. Sometimes it happens!”

“It builds character,” Juliet adds.

Ava pulls Juliet’s hand off her mouth. “You both are insufferable.”

“That’s why you love us,” Farah says. Then her face lights up. “Juliet.”

“Hm?” She’s still looking at Ava, but a quick glance to Farah reveals a devious look on her face. 

“Don’t you think Ava deserves a consolation prize?” 

Ava tenses beneath Juliet. Ava knows where the train of thought is going, because Farah loves nothing more than meddling and poking and prodding — especially at Ava, and Juliet, and AvaandJuliet. 

Juliet also loves prodding at Ava, though. So her smile is just as devious when she says, “You know, I think she does.”

Ava doesn’t like consolation prizes. Juliet knows that. Ava hates consolation prizes because she loves winning fair and square. But Juliet loves consolation prizes, and she loves Ava, and she loves getting the upper hand on Ava, so she bends down and kisses the corner of Ava’s mouth.

Ava stays still, muscles taut beneath Juliet. Juliet brushes her mouth over Ava’s and smiles.

“Told you I’d win,” Juliet murmurs. 

Ava shivers just a little, just enough that Juliet can feel it. Then she sets her with a hard look.

“I want a rematch.”

Juliet’s laugh is the loudest thing in the room.


End file.
